Wednesday, 4 January 2012

I love going to the cinema. It has always felt like a treat. Think it must harp back to the days of only going for theeee big films of the time. Star Wars. Jaws. ET. Top Gun. I lost count of the visits I made to see Tom Cruise in uniform. (I did later marry a man in uniform but he was more Popeye than Maverick). Anyway, I digress.

We let the kids decide. Sherlock Holmes 2 or Mission Impossible 4 (Tom Cruise again, maybe there's a theme). They decided Sherlock. Turns out, a really good film. Son was sitting on the edge of his seat.

In a virtually empty cinema, it did beg the question, why not lower the ticket price to get bums on seats? For 2 hours approx of entertainment, it costs us, a family of 4, a small fortune. So, funnily enough, it still feels like a treat. Tickets alone are the best part of £30 (don't get me started on the extra charge for 3D). Then all the goodies. Me, myself and I can't refuse the Ben & Jerry's (although Haagen Dazs Baileys used to be my favourite) so can't expect the kids to understand that the day light robbery of the pick n mix is out of bounds. So, goodies, easily, with a man size bucket of popcorn thrown in, another £20.

Today, I found myself back at the cinema but only with my son. a cheaper trip yes but the cinema was just as empty. Even on an Orange Wednesday!

When they showed an anti-piracy advert, I thought, if the ticket price came down a bit, there'd be no demand for pirates and their illicit copies. More people would flock to the cinema to see the films on the big screen as they were intended.

My other thought, was why can't you buy movie merchandise at cinemas? There is almost always a kids movie on ... A new Muppets one round the corner ...